Taxon

Diospyros virginiana

 
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Diospyros virginiana - common persimmon, possum-wood
Image: Ecker, Michael E. - The Dawes Arboretum
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Common name: common persimmon, possum-wood
Family: Ebenaceae (ebony family)
Distribution: e. United States
Habitat: Forests, seasonally flooded bottomlands, dry ridgetops, abandoned agricultural land; 0-1100 m
IUCN Red list: Least concern
Hardiness: USDA Zone 5
Life form: Deciduous tree
Comments: A small to medium size deciduous native tree with an oval rounded crown when open grown. Its dark green leaves are up to 5" long and 2" wide and usually turns yellow-green to light orange in fall. Fruit is round, pale orange, edible berry, notorious for their astringency when eaten too early. Flowers are small, greenish-white and dioecious in nature, producing fruit on female trees. Mature trees have a distinctly thick, blocky dark bark. Variable in size maturing from 30' to 60' and half as wide. Good used in a naturalistic landscape and for wildlife.
Links: • Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy) • USDA PLANTS Database - US Department of Agriculture • World Flora Online

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